Orbital-type tubing hanger, production assembly



G. C. OSBUN Nov. 16, 1954 ORBITAL-TYPE TUBING HANGER, PRODUCTION ASSEMBLY Filed July 5, 1949 Summer 6131470 Gttomeg United States Patent ORBITAL-TYPE TUBING HANGER, PRODUCTION ASSEMBLY George C. Osbun, Los Alamitos, Califi; Norma R. Osbun, administratrix of said George C. Osbun, deceased Application July 5, 1949, Serial No. 103,085

Claims. (Cl. 16677) It has been for some time the practice to lower into a producing oil well a flexible line or cable forming a part of a surveying instrument arranged above the ca'sing head to make a well survey, and there has been provided a special tubing flange provided with an eccentric down hole into which the said line is readily threaded. However, when the line is to be withdrawn, after the survey, it frequently fouls in the well between the bore of the well casing and the exterior face of the usual oil tubing, suspended in the casing by the flange assembly, and cannot be pulled from the well.

This invention is an improved, special type of production hook-up assembly whereby to suspend the given oil tubing and allow its top end to be bodily swept in an orbit with respect to the axis of a string of well casing mounted in a casing head, such for instance as is shown in Shaffer and Schweitzer Patent No. 2,471,658, dated May 31, 1949.

The broad object of the invention is to provide a tubing flange in which there is means to rotatively hang a given oil tubing so that if desired it can be rotated on its own axis in the said flange, and further to provide means in the flange whereby the suspended tubing can be bodily oriented in an arc generally concentric to the axis of the well casing. That is to saythe tubing can, by this new tubing flange assembly, orbitally move whilst hanging vertically in the casing with .its axis eccentric whereby to effect the release of the referred to survey line if pinched between the tubing and the bore face of the casing.

Further, it is the inventional purpose, here, to provide a simple, practical, substantial, efficient and reliable means whereby a flange-suspended oil tubing can be bodily orbitally shifted as to its casing axis, to free a survey instrument line. without stopping operation of the usual, pump sucker rod working in the tubing.

Additionally, an intent of the invention to provide a tubing flange assembly embodying a stationary flange in which is rotatively stepped a basket in which, in turn, there is a relatively rotative or swivel hanger in which the top end of a section of oil tubing is fixedly hung; the hanger having its axis offset and parallel to the axis of a casing in a casing head to which the flange of the assembly is designed to be landed and fixed, and the basket being provided with a hole from top to bottom for threading of a desired extraneous tool or instrument or a part thereofa survey line for instance.

And the invention provides an oil tubing flange assembly which is free of complex and delicate parts and aims at being foolproof. In this connection, a purpose of the invention is to provide a flange assembly to greatly facilitate the making of a well survey and to provide an assembly of this type which is to be left as a permanent part of the production hook-up.

The invention resides in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and has, with above, additional objects and advanages as hereinafter developed, and whose constructions, combinations and details of means and the manner of operation will be made manifest in the following description of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations, adaptations and equivalents may be resorted to within the scope, principles and spirit of the invention as it is claimed in conclusion hereof.

The drawing is a partial axial section of the production assembly.

The assembly includes substantial, block form flange 2 having stud bolts 3 fixed in its bottom face for ready 2,694,450 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 ice attachment onto a respective casing head CH surrounding the top end of a section of easing C, both in dotted lines. The flange 2 has a lower bore hole 2b of about the same diameter as that of the casing C. The flange bore is enlarged at 2' below a horizontal step 2s inward from a larger bore face 2". To the top face of the flange is fixed an inwardly overhanging cap ring 4. The bore axis of the flange is substantially coaxial with the axis of the casing C.

Generally conforming to the differential bores of the flange and telescoped therein is a rotative basket element 5 whose shoulder SS is overlapped by an upthrust washer 6 under the overhang of the cap ring 4. The bottom face of the shoulder 5s rests on an antifriction bearing 7 on the step 2:. Above and below the bearing 7 are fluid-set lip packings 8 and 9 sealing of the near bore faces of the flange. It will be seen that the basket 5 can be easily rotated in the housing flange 2 by the application of an ordinary pipe wrench to the upwardly projecting, top end of the basket.

The basket is provided with an elongated bore face 5b stopping at an internal step 5xvon which there is a ballbearing 10 of the angular-contact, self-centering type next beneath which is a lip packing ring 11 seated at one side in the basket inward of the step 5x.

A noticeable feature of this invention is that the stated basket is a supporting means for a part of the assembly which constitutes a hanger to which is directly attached in an approved manner, as by threads, the upper end of a section of a string of oil tubing T which hangs in the casing C below the mounted flange 2. Particularly, this hanger part is preferably in the form of substantial section of tubular form and is hereinafter called the hanger 13. It is of cylindrical form and telescopes into the upper or main bore of the basket and engages part of the bearing 10 so as to readily swivel in the basket 5.

The hanger 13 has a downwardly projecting nipple 13a through the bearing 10 and engaged by the lip packer 11. A flirther hanger packer 14 is provided above the bearmg Attention is drawn to the fact that the bore 13b of the tubular hanger is so far eccentric to the axis of the rotatlve basket 5 that the tubing T, threaded at 131 into the lower end of the hanger 13, hangs quite close to one side of the bore of the casing C, and there is thus provided a wide horizontal-dimension clearance or space S at the opposite side of the hung tubing. This enables the free and fast lowering into the casing of a cable or line L as from one or another kind of instruments installed above the instant assembly.

The basket 5 is provided with a top to bottom slightly slanted line-receiving hole 5h threaded at its top for a screw plug or attachment of a desired instrument fitting F (dotted lines); this hole lies wholly to one side of the bore 13b of the basket.

The upper end of the hanger 13 has a reduced toolreceivlng stem 13s projecting through a cap ring 14 fixed to the rim of the basket and covering a thrust washer 15 resting on the hanger.

What is claimed is:

1. A production hook-up assembly including a tubing flange and a basket and a bearing in the flange and on which the basket is supported for free rotation on a vertical axis, and a tubing hanger and a bearing in the basket by which the hanger is supported eccentrically in the basket for free rotation of the basket; whereby the hanger may be bodily orbitally shifted as to the said flange; said basket having a generally .vertical passageway, to one side of the hanger, for reception and operation of an inserted implement; said flange having a passageway therethrough to register with the opening in the casing and for reception of the basket and said basket having an opening therethrough eccentrically of the passageway to receive the said hanger.

2. The assembly of claim 1, and an anti-friction swivel bearing in said flange for the basket, and an anti-friction swivel bearing in the basket for the hanger.

3. The assembly of claim 2, and pressure-set packings arranged above and below each of said bearings.

4. The assembly of claim 1, said flange having an up-thrust washer for the inserted basket, and the basket having an up-thrust washer for the inserted hanger.

5. A production hook-up assembly including a casing head flange having a vertical passageway and a horizontal anti-friction bearing lodged in said flange coaXially with said passageway, a cylindrical basket rotatively supported on said bearing and having a vertical, eccentric bore and an anti-friction bearing mounted in said bore, and a tubing hanger rotatively supported on the last mentioned bearing and being bodily orbitally shiftable as to the axis of the flange by rotation of the basket;

said basket having a top-to-bottom instrument hole to one side of the hanger bore of the basket.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tschappat Apr. 11, 1939 Tschappat Aug. 8, 1939 Conaghan Nov. 14, 1939 Penick et al Nov. 30, 1943 

